Marathon – the upcoming reimagined PvP extraction shooter from the Sony-owned Bungie – will release on 23rd September, 2025, with a closed Alpha test kicking off on April 23.
Bungie finally revealed Marathon’s release date in a number of lengthy teasers, all embedded below, showing off its gameplay and cinematics over the weekend.
“Marathon is a team-based extraction shooter set around the mysterious and cutthroat world of Tau Ceti IV,” the voiceover teases. “You are a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary who’s given up their human form for a biosynethic shell with unique abilities and stats, capable of both tactical and fast-paced combat.
“Here, you’ll fight in a crew of up to three players across a variety of zones and points of interest. You’ll face rival Runners in zones of up to 18 players, countless security forces, and otherworldly threats. To scavenge the remains of a lost colony for glory and fortune.”
There are six classes, although only four were revealed; stealthy Void, tanky Glitch, as well as Locus and Blackbird. All four will be available in the upcoming alpha test, and there’s no need to race to lock in your favourite as you ready up – your team can play as three Voids if you want, as there’s no limit.
It goes on to describe the scavengable environments of Tau Ceti IV – they’re “filled with weapons, materials, and equipment” – with sponsorship from factions able to help replenish your armoury.
It also stresses that Marathon has been designed to play as fireteams, with contextual pings, shared objectives, and down-but-not-out mechanics, although there is the ability to opt out of crew queues if you’re a lone wolf wanting to “take all the glory for yourself as a solo Runner”.
“Before deploying, you’ll strategically build your loadout and select a Runner to ensure you’re equipped for the run ahead. Your objective is simple: get in, gather as much loot as you can, and make it out alive. Die, and all your gear will be up for grabs. Survive, and your loot can be taken into future runs as you grow in power and fill your vault.”
That said, death is, apparently, “inevitable, but it’s never the end”.
“Bungie brings its best in class, first-person person multiplayer action to the forefront. Dynamic and tactile gunplay. Runners with unique playstyles and customisable builds create highly dynamic and strategic team fights.”
Because of its timed matches, dynamic events, variable weather, and unpredictable players, Bungie reckons no two matches will be the same. There’ll also be endgame challenges, ranked play, secrets, seasonal storytelling, community events, “and more” in season one.
Unfortunately for me, Bungie also warns that no matter how geared up you are, “players with skill and strategy will always have the edge”.
Marathon is coming to PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S with full cross-play and cross-save.
In case you were wondering, no, you won’t need a PlayStation Network account to play Marathon on PC or Xbox.
In response to a comment shared on Marathon’s Discord channel in which one user said they were a tad “spooked” by the idea of having to use a PSN login to play, the Marathon team replied with a clear cut and straight to the point message: “Marathon will not require a PlayStation Account for players on PC and Xbox.”